Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

Race Days delivers a surprising amount of variety by offering two distinct racing experiences on a single cartridge. In Dirty Racing mode, you pilot miniature Grand Prix–style cars from an overhead perspective, weaving through tight tracks peppered with oil slicks, hazards, and power-ups. The arcade-like physics encourage aggressive maneuvers: bump a rival off the track, skid through corners at breakneck speeds, or strategically use boosts to pull ahead.

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Switching to 4 Wheel Drive transforms the action into a behind-the-wheel off-road challenge. Here, you’ll navigate rugged terrain complete with steep hills, rocky outcrops, and hairpin turns. The vehicle feels weighty and realistic, bouncing over bumps and reacting to uneven ground. The windshield-mounted arrow warnings for upcoming turns add a layer of strategy—read them in time, and you’ll clip the apex; miss them, and you’ll spin out or veer into the dirt.

Controls are tight and responsive in both modes. The shoulder buttons handle acceleration and braking, while the D-pad or analog stick steers with just the right level of sensitivity. Drifting in Dirty Racing feels satisfying, allowing you to carve smoothly around corners, while in 4 Wheel Drive, managing throttle through loose gravel or mud can be the difference between victory and a rear-axle spin.

Multiplayer via the GameLink cable elevates the experience further. You and a friend can duke it out head-to-head, whether you’re battling elbow-to-elbow in 4 Wheel Drive’s off-road courses or sending each other skidding into barriers in Dirty Racing. The split-second rivalries and comeback possibilities make for some of the most thrilling bouts this side of couch co-op.

Graphics

Given its handheld foundation, Race Days impresses with clear, colorful visuals that never lose track of performance. Dirty Racing’s top-down tracks are rendered crisply, with distinct tile sets for each course—urban streets, sandy deserts, and forested loops all feel unique. Your car sprite pops against the background, making it easy to spot opponents and environmental hazards at a glance.

In 4 Wheel Drive mode, the transition to a behind-the-wheel point of view is handled smoothly. The track unrolls in front of you with convincing parallax scrolling, while hills and bumps are simulated by subtle sprite scaling. The arrow indicators on the windshield are bright and stay visible even amid dust and debris, ensuring you never miss a warning.

Frame rates remain steady across both modes, minimizing slowdown even when multiple vehicles jockey for position. Textures are simple but effective—pebbles, tire tracks, and roadside foliage are all easily distinguishable, lending the courses a believable sense of place without overwhelming the hardware.

The game’s UI is clean and unobtrusive. Speedometers and lap counters stay tucked in the corners, and the boost meter in Dirty Racing is intuitive and color-coded. Even on smaller screens, you’ll have no trouble reading your stats mid-race, letting you focus on the action rather than squinting at tiny text.

Story

Race Days doesn’t lean heavily on narrative, choosing instead to immerse you directly into the competitive spirit of grassroots racing. There’s no overarching plot or character progression—instead, each race is its own mini-adventure, whether you’re storming through the finale of the Grand Prix circuit or battling the elements on a rocky off-road stage.

That said, you do get a sense of journey as you unlock increasingly challenging tracks. In Dirty Racing, early courses introduce basic turns and simple obstacles, while later Grand Prix events throw in moving barriers and multi-lap endurance challenges. In the off-road campaign, you’ll graduate from gentle dirt paths to gnarly mountain trails that demand perfect braking and throttle control.

While there’s no driver backstory or team rivalry, the thrill of competition creates its own drama. Every overtaking maneuver, every narrow escape from a spin-out, and every photo-finish victory becomes a memorable moment. The lack of cutscenes or dialogue means there’s more emphasis on pure racing tension, and that suits the game’s arcade DNA brilliantly.

For fans seeking customization or an elaborate storyline, Race Days might feel bare-bones. However, the game’s episodic format and track variety serve as a stand-in for narrative progression—advancing through circuits yields the same satisfaction as completing chapters in a story-driven title.

Overall Experience

Race Days stands out by packing two fully realized racing experiences into a single package. Whether you prefer the lightning-fast, top-down action of Dirty Racing or the immersive, bump-and-jump drama of 4 Wheel Drive, there’s enough content here to keep you busy for hours. The dual modes prevent monotony and cater to different playstyles, making it a versatile addition to any racer’s library.

The multiplayer via GameLink cable transforms these experiences into head-to-head showdowns that feel just as intense as single-player, if not more so. Competitive play highlights the game’s tight controls and track design, and it’s in these one-on-one battles that Race Days truly shines. Expect plenty of trash-talking and photo-finish thrills.

That said, the absence of a deeper campaign or vehicle customization may disappoint players seeking a more robust progression system. You won’t find upgrade trees or team management here—just pure, unadulterated racing. For purists, that’s a strength; for completionists, it could feel like a missed opportunity.

All in all, Race Days delivers an engaging, replayable package that punches above its weight. With varied gameplay modes, solid visuals, and a multiplayer hook, it’s a compelling choice for racing enthusiasts looking for portable thrills and friendly competition.

Retro Replay Score

6.9/10